Leadership – Keep your cool during difficult conversations

Talking to staff about complaints or poor performance may seem daunting, but follow these guidelines and you won’t go far wrong

As soon as you are promoted in education, your responsibility shifts sideways. Whether you step up to become a subject leader, course organiser, deputy head of year or headteacher, the successes and failings of other teachers are now your patch. Their performance is your performance.

From parental complaints about unmarked homework to wider concerns about performance, these are now your problems as a school leader. So you have to find the best possible solution in the best possible way – and that will often entail a difficult conversation.

Many books and courses will tell you that leadership is all about having a vision and knowing your values.